World Bank Photo Collection/FlickrState approves two more solar power plants.
In a race for federal stimulus money, California regulators have approved two more large-scale solar power plants.
That brings the number of plants to seven, with nearly 3,000 megawatts of combined power.
In Imperial County, the Imperial Valley Solar Project will generate 750 megawatts. In Riverside County, the state has cleared Genesis Solar, which will generate 250 megawatts.
In order to receive federal stimulus money, the plants must receive approval from the California Energy Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation before the end of the year.
Although the plants have been cleared by the state, they await approval from the feds. According to Greenwire, that will likely occur next month.
Six plants have been approved in the past six weeks. The Victorville 2 Hybrid Power Project was approved in 2008.
Three more approvals are expected in the coming weeks, bringing total solar capacity to 4,100 megawatts by the end of the year. That kind of power could potentially supply more than 4 million homes with electricity.
The California Air Resources Board passed a 33-percent renewable energy mandate last week, which these projects will help utility companies meet.
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